“I was a very energetic kid and my parents wanted something to channel that energy in a positive way. My dad did a lot of martial arts growing up, so he suggested that I join in too and it just so happened that they chose Taekwon-Do! I was 6 years old when I started training.”
Elliott Callahan, representative of the United Kingdom for this ITF World Championship in the Netherlands, tells us how happy he is to return to training after such a long time. “I loved competing and training again after the Covid pandemic. I missed it so much!… My personal preparation has been very good, I feel strong and fit. I am 100% ready for the World Championships! My coach , Master Horan VIII, has been putting a lot of pressure on me in training to make sure I’m at the top of my game for this tournament.”
With his current 21 years, Callahan has been dedicated to Taekwon-do for 15 years and he spreads his happiness to us by affirming that “I am very lucky because Taekwon-Do has become my job since I teach at my own school: Amity Taekwon-Do Do”.
In this time he has achieved several important victories, among which stand out the 1st Place Adults III World Championship of Skippers Argentina 2018, 1st Place Junior -50kg World Sparring Championship England 2016 and 1st Place Junior Grade Skippers II World Championship England 2016 , to name just a few.
Do you have any ritual or preparation minutes before competing?
I don’t have a specific routine, but I make sure to slow down my breathing and mentally rehearse what I’m going to do, whether it’s Patterns or Combat. I remind myself of all the training and that I can win against whoever is in front of me.
In which categories will you compete in this ITF World Championship?
I will be competing in Adult Grade IV Skippers and Adult Micro Sparring -58kg and also as part of the UK Adult Team. I love both the patterns and the combat equally, so I wouldn’t say I have a specialty.
“My goal for this World Championship is to become a World Champion in both Patterns and Sparring in the Adult Categories. I want to be the best and prove myself on the world stage as it has been a few years since the last World Championship.”